“Military members and their families should be on guard for con artists who target them for their hard-earned savings and ties to the military community,” said Bureau Chief Abbe R. Tiger. “The New Jersey Bureau of Securities always is prepared to protect the men and women who serve our country.

“Before investing, investors should contact their state securities regulator to verify that the investment and the person recommending it are properly registered,” Bureau Chief Tiger said.

The Bureau can provide detailed information about an investment product, broker or adviser. This information is easy to obtain and more extensive than information from other sources.

The Bureau encourages members of the military to visit its website at www.njsecurities.gov to take advantage of the investor education materials provided and also to visit the website of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), www.nasaa.org , which features several resources designed to help military families learn how to avoid investment fraud, including:

• Salute to Smart Investing. This guide to saving, investing, retirement planning and fraud prevention, prepared especially for the Armed Forces, is available in an online “flipbook” format;

• Conversation Starters for Military Families. Click through this series of open-ended questions to help your family kick start an ongoing dialogue about budgeting, saving, investing and avoiding scams and fraud;

• Investor Resource Library. Learn more about the Top 10 Investor Traps threatening investors and explore additional resources to help you invest safely;

The N.J. Bureau of Securities is the state’s securities regulator, administering the Uniform Securities Law and its regulations. The Bureau regulates firms and individuals and maintains a regulatory staff, field examination staff and investigators. The Bureau is a member of the North American Securities Administrators Association and works with other state securities regulators on joint investigations and areas of concern.

The Bureau is a proud partner in Military Saves Week and America Saves Week, a national public awareness effort led by the Consumer Federation of America to motivate people to save for their financial future. To learn more, visit www.americasaves.org.

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